The simulation provided hands-on, practical engineering and product data experience—from writing SQL analytics queries and analyzing daily active user trends to framing structured product hypotheses for startups. It gave me a clear perspective on how fast-paced YC startups prioritize metrics and feature ideas.

I liked that the simulation was practical and closely reflected the type of work software engineers do at startups. I especially enjoyed working across frontend, backend, analytics, Git/GitHub, and deployment-related tasks. It gave me an opportunity to understand how different parts of a real project fit together rather than focusing only on coding

"I really enjoyed how the simulation felt like real work at an actual startup. The tasks were practical and hands-on — building a Kanban board, connecting it to a backend, analyzing real data, and applying to YC startups. It gave me a genuine feel for what it's like to work at a Y Combinator startup and helped me build real skills I can show to employers."